Spider silk: Scientists ‘farm’ spider’s webs by making silkworms do the work
Scientists have genetically engineered silkworms to make artificial spider silk.
It is hoped the breakthrough could lead to the development of stronger fibres for textiles, bandages for burn victims and bullet-proof vests.
The GM silkworms spin tough fibres containing spider silk proteins that are more elastic and extensible, making it more suitable for use in a range of medical applications.
Territorialism and cannibalism among spiders pose challenges to spider farming as a viable means of manufacturing silk.
Dr Donald Jarvis, of the University of Wyoming in the United States, and colleagues created transgenic silkworms expressing spider gene sequences.
Spider silk proteins have been long produced in transgenic bacterial, yeast, plant, insect and mammalian cells.
However, previous attempts to incorporate them into fibres spun by silkworms led to relatively low yields.
But the new technique, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, led to fibres at least as tough as spider silk and stronger than those spun by silkworms.